Harvesting Earth Time
Harvesting Earth Time
Like the seasons, Earth element energy begins in the equinox of the summer and occurs when we can begin to harvest Earth’s bounty. The Earth Element is about nurture on all levels, and this includes the ability to care for ourselves as well as others. When Earth is in balance, we transform our food into energy, immunity, warmth, and creativity. We take what life gives to us, are nurtured by it and we nurture others in return. My strongest element, if tested, is a sliver more predominant than my summer Fire, being my Earth Rhythm. I like to think of our Rhythm qualities as our unique constitution and temperament of how we roll within the human condition.
All “Elements” have both a masculine/outward energy and feminine/inward energy to them. The Earth Element rules our digestive system and the muscles within our body. Energetically Earth energies are the energies of the Stomach/outward Yang Qi and the inward Spleen/Yin Qi. In Oriental medicine Strong Stomach Qi means strong health. Being both a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and an Energy Medicine practitioner I’ve studied and come to appreciate all aspects about what we ingest and digest.
Physically our Earth Element organs; stomach, spleen, and pancreas, extract the pure essence from the food and water we ingest to form our bodily fluids. This means that quality, easily digested foods support your Earth Element, whereas eating less well stresses your digestive system by making it overwork to distill the pure. Eating poorly is costly to your overall well being. Eating well helps us emotionally feel more grounded. Our stomach outward yang energies need to sink down into the earth to keeps us centered and feeling safe. When our Earth has become physically unbalanced, we can be prone to diabetes, digestion problems, craves sweets and have a tendency to gain weight, water retention in the lower body and circulatory issues.
Ways to support Digestion (Earth Element)
· Engage in activities that are nurturing to you like, perhaps singing, dancing, or gardening.
· Create a harmonious and relaxing home environment.
· Eat well balanced whole, freshly prepared foods.
· Exclude hard-to-digest, processed, stale and/or allergenic foods.
· Reduce stress.
Recommended foods for the earth element body type include root vegetables, leafy greens, and light proteins such as legumes and fish. Foods to avoid include refined carbohydrates, dairy, iced drinks and processed foods as they gunk up the digestive system and overtax the spleen and stomach. Sweet foods that strengthen the Earth element include whole grains, like millet, rice, and root vegetables, such as yams, sweet potatoes, and carrots. Enjoy the sweet fruits and veggies that are in season and available in the late summer harvest.
Earths are the peacemakers.
They love to nurture and care for others. They are compassionate, great listeners, love their home, and seek harmony and togetherness. Kindhearted Earth types put family and friends as their focus. They tend to make friends easily and feel most content in the company of other people. They thrive on the energy of others and nurture them in return. When Earth people are balanced, they feel content, fulfilled, and cared for. They have great self-esteem, good boundaries, and calm stable mental clarity. A healthy Earth Element enables you to be sympathetic, strong, hardworking, helpful, diplomatic, tolerant, practical, responsible, and creative.
When Earth’s are out of balance, they may become needy, wanting more and more affection, or in the opposite give out too much of themselves, becoming a pushover.
Here are some signs that your Earth may be out of balance:
· Being prone to overthinking, dissatisfaction, and worry.
· Being overprotective.
· Digestive and intestinal problems including disorders of pancreas, stomach, spleen, and intestines. Yo may suffer from ulcers. inflammation of the intestines, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, water retention, muscular weakness, and low energy.
· Lack of self-care. Taking care of everyone and putting yourself last, often a doormat.
· Very sensitive to criticism,
· Want to be involved and needed.
If you notice any of these aspects within yourself it’s time to work on being more self-reliant and developing the skill of setting better boundaries in your life. Surround yourself with encouraging and positive people.
Earths love nature.
Earths love their gardens. As we approach the fall and winter seasons it’s time to think about what plants we may want to have inside our homes. Clay or ceramic pots, soft fabrics and surrounding ourselves in yellows and orange, harvest colors, can bring both the cheery support and the feeling of comfort into our homes. Natural crystals and stones are a great way to bring the Earth energy element into our homes. I have collected beautiful heart shape crystals for half of my life and have them sitting on a dish, mirror, or platter in every room. Go for a bowl filled with rock crystals or a crystal cluster on your coffee table.
When exercising think about getting outside in nature, walking, biking, running, or hiking. Last year during isolation I relished my walks with friend’s rain or shine. Earmuffs, hats, rain gear, gumboots and gloves were my best winter finds. As the weather got better my husband and I bought e-bikes for each other for our birthdays and enjoyed discovering our city’s bike paths. I’ve now just finished spending a glorious summer vacation hiking the beautiful paths on one of our gorgeous West Coast Howe Sound islands, Pasley Island, where our family cottage is located. We are so fortunate to live in a milder part of the country.
Finally – you can never go wrong hugging a tree!
Love Becca